In Thursday's Toronto Star, TTC Chair Josh Colle reveals his plans to introduce a fare freeze for Metropass users. Colle says his research shows that "One hundred percent of the time it's people of low incomes who are saying, 'The Metropass cost is squeezing me out' ".
Stop dividing transit riders, stop raising fares, and fund public transit fairly
Stop dividing transit riders, stop raising fares, and fund public transit fairly
We're not sure which low-income riders Councillor Colle has spoken to, but he's wrong to imply that people with lower incomes all have Metropasses. We've spoken with hundreds of low-income riders. We documented their concerns as part of a year-long research project that culminated this summer in the release of our Fair Fare Coalition report.
In reality, people living on low-income are clear: they need drastic fare reductions before they can become more frequent TTC riders. That's why, in consultation with local advocacy groups, social service agencies and individuals with lived experiences, we articulated what fair funding actually looks like for low-income riders:
- Free transit, at all times and with no restrictions, for people who disclose as living on social assistance.
- A fare reduction on the Metropass, from $130 to $50 per month, for people with low incomes.
- Free usage of the TTC for all riders on days where there are extreme weather alerts.
- Discount fares for social service agencies so they can distribute fares to people who access their service.
- No reductions in service to achieve these fare changes.
The fact that politicians use language of a 'fare freeze' at City Hall is an indication that our voice is getting stronger, but there's still a long way to go to bring world-class public transit to Toronto. On November 25, we're holding our second annual fundraising event to help us advocate more for transit riders. Will you join us?